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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26653138">T&amp;E</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylrLoki/pseuds/TylrLoki'>TylrLoki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blanket Permission, Eventual Thranto, Ezra Bridger Needs a Hug, Ezra Bridger and Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo's Space Adventures, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Gen, Karrde deserves to be canon, Light Angst, Neurodiversity, No Beta We Die Like Clones, Planet Kessel (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: Rebels, Space Pirates, Updates when it does, autistic Thrawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:23:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26653138</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylrLoki/pseuds/TylrLoki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Lothal, Thrawn and Ezra get rescued by a very familiar smuggler</p><p>Space piracy ensues</p><p>ON HIATUS</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ezra Bridger &amp; Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Stranded</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This came to me after seeing some art from Last Known Trajectory, and it made me think of Thrawn being a space pirate, and the idea has not left me alone since. I kinda sped through the beginning, there are lots of great Thrawn and Ezra in the woods fics, so I decided to not rewrite those, because I've read most and that would definitely happen, and get to it. Eli, Thrass and the Ghost crew will show eventually. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Out of all the things that could have happened after Lothal, this was not what Ezra expected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera</span>
  </em>
  <span> broke apart in hyperspace, the purrgil's vice-like grip putting enough strain for pieces of the ship to fall off and out of hyperspace. By the time they finally crashed, at least according to Thrawn, the bridge had long since been evacuated, and the narrow support of lifts and private rooms had been destroyed, sending only the upper section to the planet below.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra remembered almost none of it, just a feeling of exhaustion worse than anything he had ever felt before, and losing control over the remaining purrgil. He found out later that he had somehow shielded the remainder of the ship as they plummeted, and as it carved a long, black scar into the jungle below. Thrawn said Ezra collapsed almost immediately after the ship ground to a stop, although by then, 'ship' was a relative term. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he woke up, allegedly hours later, Thrawn was sitting on the ground next to him, just staring out at the jungle through the shattered viewport. Neither were seriously injured, Ezra had his blaster graze, and Thrawn likely had broken ribs and maybe a broken ankle. Ezra couldn't be sure, he wouldn't let him check. He did, however, offer to bandage Ezra's graze, which he reluctantly accepted</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> They checked over the ship, in hopes of supplies or survivors, and found few of the former, and none of the latter. There were no bodies, however. Ezra thought it meant the evacuation had been successful, but Thrawn thought they had been sucked out into space.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The planet was mostly forest, and on it, they found next to nothing. No signs of civilization, current or past, no intelligent species, not even any major predators. Just fuzzy, Loth-cat sized lizards that gave Ezra a headache when he spent too long around them, and trees, for as far as they knew about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their relationship was awkward in the beginning, to say the least, but as the days dragged on, and the hope of rescue dwindled, they began to warm up to each other, although warm with Thrawn was a relative term. He was constantly poking around through the woods,as if he could make something other than lizards appear by effort alone. Ezra would come with him sometimes, and ask questions. Sometimes out of genuine curiosity, and sometimes just to bother him. It didn't seem like Thrawn could really tell the difference anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn proved to be an excellent survivalist, and seemed to forget about the Rebellion almost instantly, both massive surprises for Ezra, and better than he could say about himself. If they had been stranded on a planet like Lothal, then he might have been useful, but for now, he had to rely on Thrawn's strangely extensive knowledge. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>On day eighty-seven, not that he was counting, Ezra was sitting outside on a fallen tree, watching the early morning sky. He had slept terribly, it had rained all night, and the roof of the cabin he was sleeping in had chosen then to start leaking. So at first, when he saw the ship circling high above, barely more than a dot in the sky, he thought he might have been seeing things. Thrawn was in the wreck, rifling around through the more damaged areas for something or other, and barely in earshot, but as the ship drew closer, it didn't stop Ezra from yelling for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't wait to see if Thrawn had heard him, he ran for the ship before it had even set down. Ezra reached the ramp just as it opened, revealing a group of four humans, likely smugglers, if their ship and blasters were anything to go off of. One of them, a man with long, dark hair with flecks of grey, and a beard to match, pointed at the swatch of destruction cut by the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera </span>
  </em>
  <span>and asked, "That you?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra's gaze drifted to the wreck and back, "You could say that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man raised an eyebrow, "Well, it's visible from space. Anyone else make it out?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, one more, He's in the wreck somewhere. Do you have any idea what planet this is?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man hesitated, and turned back to his ship, "Hey, Ghent, where are we?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the four stopped and looked, a young man with blue hair holding a datapad, "Uh, I don't know." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other two set down the buckets they were moving, until a burly, blond man said, "It wasn't named on the star charts." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The leader turned back to Ezra as they continued, "I guess you get to name it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra was thinking of a comeback, when a distinctive presence brushed up against his senses, Thrawn's unique mind bordering on the edge of his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hair had gotten long over the last three months, Ezra had offered to cut it with his lightsaber, which hadn't gone over well, and by now, was almost constantly in his face. Even now, with shaggy hair and wearing a tank top, he still carried the air of a Grand Admiral. The smuggler said, "I take it this is the other survivor?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep, this is Thrawn," he said, throwing his arm over his shoulder, which Thrawn reluctantly accepted, "and I'm Ezra." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Talon Karrde, the blue-haired one is Ghent, the blond is Aves, and Chin is here somewhere." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra nodded along, knowing damn well he wouldn't remember. Karrde continued, "We're here for some rare lizards, called ysalamir. Seen any?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How many do you want? They're everywhere."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Great. Now, I'd bet you two need a ride, so if you're interested, you're welcome to get settled while my crew and I ysalamir hunt." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn beat him to answering, "Thank you for the offer, we will be but a moment."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde seemed slightly taken aback, proof he was a real person, but recovered quickly enough that few would even notice, nodded, and set off to join his crew. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn was right, it took them almost no time at all to gather their things and load it onto Karrde's ship, and most of that time was walking back and forth. They didn't have much, some spare clothes, a vibroknife or two, some bacta patches, some uncharged blasters, Thrawn's extensive collection of stims, and a broken datapad he never let Ezra near. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they were inside, Ezra flopped down on the couch, beyond relieved to sit on something comfortable for a change. Thrawn did the same, albeit far more gracefully, although Ezra could tell he felt the same. He sat forward, leaning on his knees, and in his usual cool voice, said, "I do not trust these smugglers." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra gestured to the wall, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Me neither</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but are you seeing any better options?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn’s eyes narrowed, “Did I suggest refusing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much,” Ezra protested</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued to glare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, whatever. I'll have them drop us off at the nearest spaceport, you can go back to the Empire or wherever you’re from, I’ll hitch a ride back to Lothal, and it’ll be over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn was exceptionally difficult to read with the Force, even when they weren’t near the lizards. His mind tended to be such a strange flurry of thoughts that even when Ezra could sense it, he couldn’t understand it. However, through all the obstacles, he could sense Thrawn’s disagreement loud and clear. Ezra stood, not wanting to hear any of Thrawn’s upcoming lecture. He said, “I’m gonna go explore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spent most of the next hour doing just that, and not finding anything of interest. The ship wasn’t much larger than the Ghost, and certainly wasn’t as nice. He found a mostly empty cargo hold, save for some plastoid frames,which looked like they were for growing plants, and a few rooms that looked occupied, one that didn’t, and a simple pilot’s cabin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde, if that actually was his name, came back only a moment after Ezra had finished exploring, a whole bucket of the lizards in his arms, with his crew right behind him. Ezra watched them dip into the storage room, and only one came back out immediately, likely for more lizards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn had already found somewhere to disappear to, something he had proven to be great at while stranded. Ezra followed Karrde into the cargo hold, where he was trying to get a lizard to latch onto one of the frames. Leaning in the doorway, he asked, “Want any help with that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde briefly looked up, “Yeah, c’mere and help me stick this guy on here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra crouched beside him, and watched as he tried to convince it to hold on. Without looking up, Karrde said, “I’m not insane, I swear. The frames have a reason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was starting to wonder.” He paused to let him explain, and after a long moment, promoted, “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde tapped the creature's hand, per lack of a better word, and when Ezra leaned in close, he saw four, thin, nearly transparent claws, sprouting from the end of each tiny digit. He said, “They suck nutrients from their native trees with these, so they need to attach to these replacement trees, or they won’t last long. And you gotta be careful, the claws are pretty easy to break.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seems like a lot of trouble for a lizard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re ysalamiri.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same difference.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde paused, which Ezra thought meant he was thinking of a comeback, until he followed his gaze, and saw him staring at the lizard. Ezra focused on it, as it sank it’s little claws into the plastoid frame. Karrde said, “The deal with these things is that they’re supposed to repel the Force.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra crossed his arms, “That’s impossible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde shrugged, “It’s the rumor at least, and really, I don’t care if it’s true or not. Lots of rich idiots will pay up for ‘em.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Avers, if Ezra remembered right, returned with another entire bucket of the things. He set it down beside them and left again, as Ezra and Karrde both picked one up and gently pressed it to the frame. Karrde asked, almost too casually, “Where are you trying to get to?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lothal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karrde nearly dropped his lizard. It was subtle, and he played it off like a twitch of his hand, but Ezra caught it anyway. Unable to keep the worry out of his voice, he asked, “Did something happen to it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, they overthrew the local Imperials.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that a bad thing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For the residents? Probably not, but for my crew and I? Absolutely. As soon as you go there now, you’ve taken a side, and that’s one thing I can’t do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, you can’t just stay neutral, that’s basically siding with the Empire. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He scoffed, “Really? Watch me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Avoiding his eyes, Ezra picked up another lizard. Karrde huffed, “Look, kid, I don’t have the time to fight an unwinnable battle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked up at Karrde, lips twisted into a scowl, “We won on Lothal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s one backwater world. How do you think that’ll last?” He sighed, dropping his hands as the lizard attached, “You were a Rebel, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra grumbled, “Good guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s all fine, but there’s almost no way you’re getting back to that planet. You couldn’t pay me enough to do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snapped, “Then I’ll just find someone who will.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>hitch a ride </span>
  </em>
  <span>there, even if you, by some miracle, can find someone who will take you, they won't do it for free, so unless you crashed with maybe twenty thousand credits, you’re out of luck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra stood quickly, glaring, Karrde not backing down. He said, vaguely gesturing with a lizard, “If you really want, I’ll drop you at the nearest spaceport, but you’ll probably just get stranded again. And don’t think you can steal a ship from these people, they aren’t the Empire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned on his heel and stomped off, knowing full well he was acting like a child, and angry. Angry about crashing, angry about Lothal, and most of all, angry that he knew Karrde was right. Few smugglers would pick up marooned strangers, so he couldn’t be saying it out of spite. To come so close, only to find out that he might never make it back, seemed cruel, even for the Force.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without thinking, his legs took him to the empty quarters he found while exploring. The automatic doors opened with a soft whoosh, and found the room to no longer be empty. The lights were off, but a faint, red glow confirmed what he expected. Thrawn was sitting cross-legged on the lower bunk, staring at the wall and tapping a rhythmic pattern on the bed. Ezra asked, “Can I turn the light on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He flicked the switch, and moved to lean against the wall, closer to the bunk. He said, “Karrde thinks I can't get to Lothal, says it’s a no-go for everyone but rebels.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is wise to cordon off the planet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Ezra spat, “but now I can’t get home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn’s eyes narrowed, his only obvious expression so far, “Neither can I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra, embarrassingly, realized he hadn’t even considered that. He only knew Thrawn was from the unknown regions, and he shot down any attempt to learn more. He continued, “Travel through the Chaos to my homeworld requires a navigator, or at minimum, a navicomputer with an accurate enough map to travel jump-by-jump.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Given that Ezra had barely heard of either of those things, Thrawn didn’t need to finish. Ezra said, “I guess we’re both still stranded.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>--------------Bonus</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe an hour or so later, he would have to get used to running off a chrono again, Ezra had built up the courage to talk to Karrde again. He pulled him aside from the common room, and they stepped into one of the secluded, side halls. Ezra began, “I’m sorry for snapping at you, it was just, not what I wanted to hear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waved the apology off, “No hard feelings, I wouldn’t like it either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, “I also wanted to accept your offer from earlier, to join your crew.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde smiled, barely more than an upturn of the lip, “I was hoping you would say that. Your blue friend too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn had suggested it, “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome to keep the room. I think you two will fit in just fine.” He stuck out his hand, which Ezra promptly accepted, “Welcome to the gang.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am, in fact, still alive. I've got the next Separatist chapter written on paper, and it'll be up whenever I have the will to type it out. I'm not the happiest with this chapter, but I really needed to get something out, or I never would. Enjoy folks</p><p>Oh and if you want to vibe on Tumblr I'm gay-for-star-wars over there</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It sure wasn’t the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wild Karrde </span>
  </em>
  <span>had begun to grow on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship itself ran well, at least for smuggler standards, with a reliable, class one hyperdrive, and better shields than any cargo ship should have. Thrawn spent the first two weeks aboard surveying the ship, and by the end, he knew it as well as the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Springhawk</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The crew had been happy enough to let him stay out of the way, preferring to initiate Ezra instead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For all of his research on the Jedi, and the rest of the Specters, none of it prepared him for what he was like to speak to, much less </span>
  <em>
    <span>live </span>
  </em>
  <span>with. He gave his trust almost automatically, which contrasted the Imperial predictions, and would have been extremely useful information a few months ago.  Thrawn anticipated a much colder reception from him, but after only a few weeks of cooperation while stranded, Ezra trusted him. After proving the absolute bare minimum, that he didn’t intend to stab him in his sleep, Ezra had trusted him with personal thoughts, and even Rebel secrets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He always wondered why his spies were so effective in the Rebellion, but if even a handful of Rebels were like him, that would explain it. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the third week, Thrawn had mostly accepted he would never see the Ascendancy alive again. Even if he managed to wrestle the ship away from it’s crew, by convincing or even blasting them, he would need a willing and capable navigator, something Ezra was neither. With how he ‘flew’ the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera</span>
  </em>
  <span>, slamming them both into a star was far more likely than navigating to Chiss space in one piece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had taken the chance on Vader then for two reasons, the Sith’s Sight was far more powerful than Ezra’s, and more so, Ar’alani had needed him, and needed him immediately. But now, with a Skywalker who’s current record navigating was zero-to-one, and the potential to come across a Pathfinder or Chiss ship at random? He couldn’t justify the risk. For now, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wild Karrde </span>
  </em>
  <span>would do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pulling him from his thoughts, the door to his quarters swished open, letting Ezra in. He settled into his usual spot by Thrawn’s bunk, the bottom one, which they had agreed to without ever discussing. He chose the bottom one automatically, like he had done at both academies, and Ezra had chosen the top, as if they had done it a million times already. He said, “We’re going to Kessel next.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn replied, “I know, I’ve seen the navicomputer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra’s expression soured, as if Thrawn insulted him, “Alright, we’re picking up some spice from some guy named Car’das. Know all that too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ignored his prods, Ezra seemed determined to get under his skin, and asked, “Car’das? Jorj Car’das?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra clicked his tongue, “Yeah, actually. How in the hell did you know </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swept his hair out of his face, it was less than an inch away from tying back, “Of no consequence, I simply recognized the name.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Krayk spit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaning on his knees and staring up, he said, “Would you prefer I lie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like you are right now? When’d you meet him? Did he work for the Empire?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn continued to glare, until Ezra finally said, “Fine, whatever, just come help us move crates sometime.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He half-stomped out, again leaving him to his thoughts. Pushing aside that Car’das had risen so in the smuggling world, as to have a genuine stake in Kessel’s mines, he could only assume that Karrde hadn’t mentioned his newest crewmembers. Even a permissible captain like Karrde would take issue with an ex-Senior Captain on his crew, and he couldn’t imagine Car’das would keep their past secret. During his hunt for Nightswan, he found himself expecting to hear something about the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bargain Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <span> and crew, but after Batonn, and with no news on their fate, he had to chalk it up to the years. Either the ship never made it back to the Lesser Galaxy, or the client they had been so eager to return to took issue. But, with Car’das clearly alive and well, it solidly ruined his original theories.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did know one thing for certain, Car’das could, under no circumstances, see him. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bargain Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s crew were some of the only beings in the Lesser Galaxy that knew anything of the Acendancy’s inner workings. His bridge crew had seen the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Steadfast</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Car’das in particular had seen procedures, navigators in action, a syndic, even spoke functional Chenuh. The crew of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera </span>
  </em>
  <span>had barely seen enough to prove they existed, but Car’das knew enough to inflict serious damage, and had the capability to tell the galaxy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn hadn’t thought of the risk at the time, just the chance for study. With the benefit of hindsight, he could see why the Syndicure wanted to demote him so strongly over it. He brushed his hair out of his face again, considering his next move. If he spoke to Karrde about his history with Car’das, he wouldn’t reveal him in passing, but ran the risk of making him suspicious, and asking directly. Thrawn still couldn’t be certain of Karrde’s angle, or what he thought of him and Ezra. Since Ezra kept his Imperial past quiet so far, they were a team now, whether he liked it or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the cargo bay, which still had ysalamir fur in the corners, since no one seemed to sweep on this ship, Ezra and Aves were standing waist-high in crates. As the door shut behind him, both heads snapped up, inches from Navy attention. He fought the instinct to straighten up under their gaze. Aves said, sharply, “Look who decided to show up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ezra ignored him, and said, “We’re moving ‘em to the galley.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, and picked up the nearest stack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the third set of crates, the ship jolted harshly out of hyperspace. He was standing in the cargo hold during the jolt, and heard multiple, loud crashes coming from the galley, followed by shouting. He knew some of the stacks were too high, but neither Aves nor Ezra listened when he tried to say so, an evidently common trait in humans. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>In the cockpit, Ghent sat at the controls, and Karrde reclined in one of the other seats scattered around the room. From the doorway, he could see the small, floating lamps standing out against the dark nebula, and casting a faint, blue glow into the cockpit. Thrawn settled in one of the chairs on the empty side of the room. Even during the wild Bantha chase for Nightswan, he never ended up on Kessel, but had read practically everything on the holonet and in the Imperial Archives on the world, which had proved frustratingly incomplete. Kessel had no indigenous species, and the syndicates that controlled it kept next to no records, at least as far as Imperial intelligence knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door behind him opened, and from the corner of his eye, he could see Ezra and Aves step in. Under the lighting, Ezra’s hair and eyes shone vividly blue, brighter than any other human he knew of. He had seen Mira and Ephram Bridger, they were both human, at least visibly, although Lothal’s records were far from perfect, making more distant, nonhuman relatives a possibility. Although, most of the Jedi he knew of had blue eyes, which raised the question, if blue eyes were related to the Sight in humans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde broke him from his thought, “Newbies, either of you ever been to Kessel before?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without looking, Thrawn said, “No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Ezra said, arms folded tightly, “Almost died like, three times.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde turned to him, “With your rebel crew?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, “Might have freed a few of their slaves though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this gonna be an issue?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn turned as well, and saw Ezra with his jaw set and eyes hard. He glanced down at his boots, and responded, “Not unless they have one first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Alright, but I’m gonna hold you to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While he turned back to the viewport, the hazy, brown sphere of Kessel had begun to dawn through the darkness of the Maw. Even from this distance, he could see lines of beings, moving slowly in and out of the mines. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wild Karrde</span>
  </em>
  <span> swung around, landing gently on a durasteel platform below. One by one, each of the crewmembers filed out, until only Thrawn and Karrde remained. Karrde asked, “You coming?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn didn’t face him, “In a moment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, he left Thrawn alone, in the darkened cockpit, staring over the planet. A stiff wind stirred dust above and within the bowl-shaped depression, scraping softly on the hull. Every once in a while, some worker, often a roguish  human or Trandosian would step close enough to the edge with their mag-lev crates to be visible, but not often. The exchange itself would be off the starboard side, and far from the viewport’s range. It suited him well enough, less chance of being seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ezra stepped into view, albeit barely, standing droid-stiff and gesturing harshly at something Thrawn couldn’t see. Even from this distance, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to be off this planet. Thrawn had, of course, read about the Lothal Specters’ actions on Kessel, Caleb Dume’s exposure catapulted both his crew and Lothal into galactic infamy. Truly, he couldn't be surprised Ezra still held disdain for the world. Although not recognized at the time, Kessel had been one of the first signs of an escalating rebellion. Then, most of the concern centered on leaks in the supply chain and the Jedi, Thrawn hadn’t bothered personally with it, but Eli always followed Imperial chatter, and not on the chance for wider problems.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within recent time, and with Ezra’s side of stories, he had given no small amount of thought to what the Empire could have done differently. If he, or another competent Imperial, had been assigned from the beginning, they would have been better pursued, their non-Jedi leadership identified and imprisoned, long before they could become anything but a nuisance. Still, in terms of his original assignment, he knew he should be grateful for the Specters. Because of them, he escaped the Empire, alive and without fear, with twenty years worth of their secrets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In all truth, when the mission to study Palpatine’s Empire presented itself, and the chance to save his name and Ar’alani’s career with it, he knew he would never return. But, he could think of worse ways to leave the Empire. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Thrawn crossed his legs and leaned back, looking up at the polluted sky above. The system’s star could barely penetrate the smog, but where it did, it sent golden columns of light shining down, almost like a painting. He noticed a slight stir in the clouds, but before he could consider it’s cause, a light cruiser dropped out of hyperspace. An </span>
  <em>
    <span>Imperial</span>
  </em>
  <span> light cruiser.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nearly leapt to his feet, and strode to the pilot’s seat, where he could see more clearly, just in time to watch it release a squadron of TIE fighters. Thrawn didn’t wait to see who they came for, instead began powering up the engines, as he had seen Ghent do once before. As he flicked the last switch and began to strap himself in, the doors flew open, and the entire crew spilled inside. Coolly and unbothered, he said, “Strap yourselves in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde protested, “Can you even fly?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, now </span>
  <em>
    <span>strap in</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all stood for one, precious moment longer, until Ezra said, “He can, now where are the guns?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That sent the rest of the crew into action, with Aves and Ezra running out the door, and Karrde and Ghent doing as he said. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wild Karrde </span>
  </em>
  <span>lifted off, and as it did, Thrawn just barely caught sight of a scruffy, tanned, human man, watching them. Older now, and slightly neater, but certainly recognizable, Jorj Car’das stared at him through the viewport. But, with fighters howling overhead, he couldn’t wait to consider what Car’das had seen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the TIEs still looking for targets, he pointed the ship out and hit the sublight lever to maximum, sending them shooting past the cruiser. A handful of TIEs picked up the chase, making the scanner warnings beep loudly, but not for long. Aves and Ezra made short works of any following, and even picked off a few passing too close. They tore through the clouds, turbulent winds rattling the old freighter. Thrawn rested his hand on the hyperspace controls, waiting for the instant they broke orbit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cloud cover cleared, and in an instant, pushed into the welcoming blackness of space.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And almost directly into a waiting Star Destroyer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn swerved at the last second to avoid it, throwing the hyperspace levers all the way down, but it was no use. The tractor beam already had them. Karrde stood to reach for the shutdown switches, but Thrawn ordered, “Wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? They’ve already got us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not yet, Ghent, be ready for full reverse at my command.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that a complete change in direction could break a tractor beam’s lock, at least in theory. He couldn’t think of a successful example, but, then again, none of the pirates and smugglers who attempted it were former high command. As he began to point the ship between the walls of the Maw and the ISD, he supposed he would find out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde half-shouted, “But that could destroy the engines!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather be on that destroyer?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde protested no more, but certainly didn’t offer his support. A Coruscanti voice crackled over the comm, but no one paid it any mind. The ship turned far enough, and with a slight point, he ordered, “Now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All three were thrown against their harnesses with bruising force, as the engines shreaked, metal-on-metal. The scanner turned green and beeped, and with another awful lurch, Thrawn threw the hyperspace lever forward. The stars stretched into starlines, and the blue patterns of hyperspace began. Karrde and Ghent breathed a collective sigh of relief, but Thrawn knew better. Beyond the usual risks of uncalculated jumps, an Interdictor could be lurking anywhere, and failing to run from a Star Destroyer never went well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>About a half-lightyear later, but nowhere near as exact as he would prefer, Thrawn slowed to sublight. Thankfully, as they returned to realspace, no Imperial cruisers waited for them, no planet to crash into, nothing at all, in fact, just entirely empty, interstellar space. Almost immediately, Ghent stood, and announced, “I’ll go check the engines.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde followed him with his eyes, “Please do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>With him gone, Karrde turned back to Thrawn, “Where’d you learn to fly like that? I’ve heard of people </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but never actually getting away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A smuggler had tried it against the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chimera</span>
  </em>
  <span> once, they escaped the beam, but tried to plot their jump, and the tracking lock reattached almost instantly. But, he couldn’t say that he knew exactly how long a secure lock took. Instead, he simply replied, “My homeworld.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karrde scoffed, “Well, any of you can join my crew anytime.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The intraship comm beeped, and Karrde tapped it, “How’s it lookin’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ghent’s voice crackled through, “Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad, not great, but it’ll run.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good, now get back so we can get outta here,” he turned to Thrawn, “unless you’d rather.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn shook his head, as Ghent replied, “Sure thing.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He left for his quarters soon after, but instead, Ezra stopped him in the main room. Standing relutcantly, he folded his arms behind his back and absentmindedly rubbed at his wrist as Ezra said, “Look, I’m really fucking glad you can actually fly, because I’m pretty sure they’d blast me on sight now, if we got tractored in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt I would be better received.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’d be a sight,” Ezra paused, staring blankly, until he snapped his fingers and said, “Right, almost forgot, I’ve got somethin’ for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned on his heel and walked off to the cargo hold, Thrawn quietly following. Ezra made a beeline for the back, stepping around and over the haphazard crates. He stopped, and without warning, threw something back to Thrawn. He barely caught it, and when he held it up, saw it was an unfamiliar jacket. It was made of synthleather, a dark orange, with brown accents, most notably scuffed, brown elbow patches. Ezra said, abruptly close, “One of the Kessel guys ditched this when the Imps showed. Go ahead, it’s too long for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thrawn slipped it on, and settled right in. Even rolled all the way down, the sleeves exposed some of his wrist, but it overall fit well enough. Ezra smiled and playfully hit him in the arm, “I thought the orange would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>worse than that. Now, you look the part too.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I see Thrawn as having like, a loose grip on reality, and a tendency to slip into his thoughts, which I did on purpose here. Anyway, I can't wait for what the Mandalorian does with our favorite blue man. Blessed be</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fun fact, the title came from shortening the WIP title, and I eventually liked that version better, because the 'E' could be Ezra or Eli. I'm in the middle of reading Outbound Flight, and i guarantee Thrass will be a frequent guest, because he was just introduced and I already love him.</p><p>As always, comments are very much appreciated &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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